Bond Mate: Search In Progress
by O.E.M
Summary: In a world where there are Humans and then there are Enhanced Humans, two men struggle to live in a world that constantly pushes them to the edge of insanity. Will Tony and Steve be able to overcome their gifts in order to create the very thing that could save their minds? Or will the world finally break its two saviors? Soul Mate Story.
1. Prolog

Prolog: Setting Up of the World

In 1820, Humans underwent a drastic evolutionary change. It started off as one person, then a group of people, then a larger group of people. Soon it was a common occurrence. Humans were no longer just defined by sex, nationality, race and the like. They were also defined by whether or not their were the 'Enhancements'. The Human species had evolved two different sets of people; The Mentalist and the Sensitives. However those names were not mainstream enough, so people began to call the two new types of humans; The Sentinel and the Guides. That sticks a little more then the other two words. The Mentalist, better known as the Guides, short for Empathic and Telepathic people, are able to sense people's emotions and very powerful ones can even read minds. The Sensitives, better known as the Sentinel, are given acute awareness of the world around themselves and their bodies normally are honed weapons. Their senses are heightened to a great degree and the pinnacle of strength is being able to see into the direct future. Early on it was discovered that Sentinel and Guides needed one another to be steady in their lives. It was hard for the Sentinel to live their lives normally because of the constant influx of sensory input and sometimes they were even driven mad by it. The Guides were basically the same expect with emotions and thoughts of those around them.

In 1890 laws were passed all over the world to protect the Guide and Sentinel relationship. While forming a Bond between a pair was sometimes difficult, it was still necessary for the Enhancements. It was even found that powerful Sentinel would fly into a violent and sinister rage whenever their mate was harmed. Needless to say a person with their skill were dangerous.

Time moved on and things settled into the regular time stream. However World War two was a little different. It was a dark time for Guides, for they were being slaughtered by the thousands. The idea was the the Sentinel were too powerful to be shackled down to a person who was in tune with emotions. That it made them weak to be under the influence of the Guides. Yet, what they did not know was that without Guides, Sentinel go mad and act out in a violent rages. The war was brutal.

That was the time when a scrawny Sentinel entered the Super Solider program. Steve Rogers was small and inconsequential, yet his score as a Sentinel was strange enough to make him a great candidate. When he under went the serum, everything exploded. Literally and figuratively. The entire world around him seemed to explode into colors, sensations and auditory inputs. The serum had made him perfect in all ways. He was the perfect Sentinel. The most powerful ever known. A blessing and a curse. For he knew in his heart that there would never be a Guide that would be able to handle his powers. Even Howard Stark, a genius and one of the highest Guides, could not handle all the input that he was giving off. He supposed it was for the best though. He had a mission to do. Even Peggy Carter, the Guide second only to Howard, could not handle him. Together though, the two helped him through the war and through losing his best friend Bucky. So he figured it was a good thing that he did a suicide mission. For his life would always be a half life, on a razors edge of insanity and violence at all times. The shock of the ice would have been a shock for anyone. But it was more intense for Steve, intense enough to slam his mind into a coma and thus into a state stasis with the help of the freezing properties of the ice.

After losing Steve to the war effort and once the war was done, Howard Stark continued on with his life. He married a nice woman named Jamie, an intelligence agent and a Sentinel. The first time they tried to have a child, Maria miscarried. Nearly destroyed by this, Howard threw himself even further into his work, until one day he stumbled across something that would change the world forever. He had been in a bar for Guides and Sentinel to mingle when he noticed something that was completely out of the norm. Across the room, a Sentinel stood up sharply and whirled around on his heels. He stared across the room at Howard, or rather to the left of Howard. The genius' guide abilities to read people's emotions exploded. Every Guide in the room was clutching their heads and every Sentinel was tense. The man next to Howard, however, was none of these things. He was entranced. The Sentinel crossed the room in definite steps and grabbed the Guide. Their bodies glowed bright blue before it vanished. Howard looked startled, the intense possessive emotions vanished and a strong sense of contentment fell across the room. Howard was perplexed by not only what happened but the blue glow as well. Hesitantly he asked what had happened and the Sentinel replied that he had found his Soul Mate, his perfect match. Howard stared at the man, assuming he was speaking of the legend. That wasn't possible….but he had seen it happen. So what did he do? He researched and tried to figure out a way to make it so that every Sentinel and Guide, even himself, could find their perfect match. But alas the technology of the day did not allow him to create the means to do so. So he wrote it down for the next generation.

Jamie killed herself after the next miscarriage. At the ripe age of 46, Howard went out to find another woman to marry. He found Maria Cerrera, who was 26 years his junior. Not that it matter to her. She was after his money and name, to increase her own career as a scientist, he was after a heir. But there was a catch. Maria was not a Sentinel, so she could not keep Howard from spiraling down into a deep depression which he used alcohol as a means to cover. That is the life Anthony Stark was born to. He was born to an alcoholic Guide and a mother who was emotionally vacant. Tony struggled to try and gain some kind of affection and love from his parents, but he got none. This would have destroyed a regular child, but Anthony Stark was no ordinary child. He was basically an amplified version of his father. His intelligence and his abilities as a Guide were far greater than his father's.

The lack of love that either parents felt towards him, started to drive Tony mad. He grew to be socially inverted. He struggled all his life to gain some kind of positive emotions from his parents. He tried to be the best son possible. At age four he created his first circuit board, just to see if his father would feel any kind of pride. Instead all Tony felt from his father was disgust that his son was surpassing him. It was a slap in the face. Tony heard every negative, degrading and angry thought his parents thought. He felt the hatred his father had when he fixed his mistakes. Being a powerful Guide was horrible for Tony. It was the reason he threw himself into science. Machines did not give off bad emotions, didn't think at all. But he needed some kind of affection. So he started to drink and have sex with random people at the young age of thirteen. But he never slept with Sentinel. They couldn't handle the smell of strong alcohol on his breath when he tried to sleep with them.

When he was seventeen, his parents died in a car crash. He couldn't help but feel some relief that he wouldn't have to deal with the constant influx of hatred from his parents. Obadiah Stane stepped up to take control of Stark Industries while Tony continued to move through college gathering degrees. When he turned 21, he took over the company. Things seemed okay. Obadiah was nice to him, though all his thoughts was the word soon and all the emotion that came off the man was a strange sense of glee. It wasn't until he was 24 that he figured out what that meant. He gained a great Sentinel assistant, Virginia "Pepper" Potts. She could ease some of the emotions that were influx in around him. But for the most part, she left him to his own devices. Things spiraled out of control when he was 25. He was kidnapped, tortured, made the Arc Reactor and the first Iron Man suit as well as felt, for the first time, someone die. All this made him drink more and more, have sex with more and more people. He was spirally down and it was like he was own a suicide mission. His self-destructive ways exploding all around him. He was on a downward spiral that no Sentinel in the world could stop. Which was a shame, because the entire Enhanced society desperately wanted to keep Tony alive. He was too powerful to lose. They had already lost the most powerful Sentinel to date, they didn't want to lose Tony on top of it.

A/N: So I have read about four Steve and Tony soul mate stories and I recently found this prompt online about Sentinels and Guides. I felt like I have a good idea for one since the prompt combines both soul mates and Alternate Realities. I love Alternate Realities as many of my followers know. This chapter is solely just to give a general condensed over view of everything. The first chapter will be posted soon after this one.

Again, I do not have a beta for my stories. So all mistakes are my own.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The feeling of ice on Steve Roger's skin was the first thing he felt when he came to. Then as his mind slowly came to, his senses came as well. It was like a thousand radios were turned on. His skin felt like it was on fire. The radio beside his bed was the loudest. The rest of the sounds were muffled by something. He could smell the laundry detergent that was used to clean the sheets he was under. He could smell the antiseptics that were used. But it was everything else that clued him in that he was being played. The game on the radio was the very game he had seen before the war. The smell of motor grease, sweat, gun powder. The sound of things moving too quickly, rushing feet, metal on metal and the barking of orders. He waited for someone to come in, to give him an opportunity to escape. He watched as a woman dressed as a nurse walked into the room. He watched her cautiously for his upright position. She closed the door behind him. He was ready for anything. He was confused and the influx of information was too much for him. He could tell she was a guide trying to calm his sense, but she was failing at it.

"Good Morning." She looked at her watch, which he noticed was not a version he had ever seen before. "Or should I say afternoon." Her hands clasped in front of her. Military like. Not like any of the of the nurses he had ever seen before. He gave her a strange look. He spoke and noticed his voice was raspy. The wind from the window caused a sense of nausea to over come as it triggered the sense of freezing sensation that went deep into his bones.

"Where am I?" His rough voice echoed through the room.

"You are in a recovery room in New York City." She said easily, as if his confusion was normal. He remained silent for a moment before he looked at the radio then looked over at the window. The sounds did not correlate with what she was telling him. He gave her a serious stared before he spoke again.

"Where am I really?" He said. She looked uneasy before she blinked several times. A sign she was out of her element. Out of her orders. That this situation was not going the way she wanted it to.

"I don't know what you mean." She said cautiously.

"The Game." He paused, staring at her for a moment. "It's from May 1941. I know it because I was there." She stopped smiling, clearly obvious that the game was over. He stood up slowly, knowing that things were about to get very serious.

"Now I am going to ask you again. Where am I?" He asked walking towards her. She said his name. The sound of a button being pressed caught his ears. Now he was on edge. Too much information, too many lies, too many problems.

Men with guns walked into the room. He stepped back, on edge. He grabbed the men and then threw them to the wall, only to have them go through it. He looked around, now scared. He jumped over the called wall only to be in another room. He looked around, confused. He ran through a door. All he heard was Captain Roger and something about All Agents Code Thirteen, the sounds followed him as he ran. He ran into another room only to be slammed by more sounds, more smells, more feelings and more confusion. Guys in suits suddenly turned on him. He ran out the glass door, suddenly consumed by sounds of cars and people. He looked around, so very confused at the world that now surrounded him. There was still the same smells as before, only now he could tell he was being over powered. His mind struggled to keep up with what was going on around him. He ran and ran until he came upon a clearing. Building upon building were all around him. Lights, moving images like movies only in color. Cars like he had never seen. Everything was almost too much for him. It wasn't the world he had left behind. It was nothing like he had ever experienced before. He looked around in a circle, trying to comprehend everything.

Suddenly black cars pulls around him, people with guns moving out of the cars.

"At Ease Solider." A solid voice called. There were Guides in the men with the guns. He could feel each of them trying to ease the sensation coming at him from all around. He was grateful that they were blocking out all the inputs that were coming at him. Though it reminded him that he required that many people to block out some of the things that were coming at him. The man walked to him, with the strange grace of a tiger. He knew the man was a Sentinel, with experience but not at the same level as himself.

"Look, I am sorry about the show back there. We thought it best to break it to you slowly

"Break what?" He asked, uncertain he wanted to know. but he had to know. He had to know what was going on. This was not the place where he went off to war. This was not the city he knew.

"You've been a sleep Cap'. For almost seventy years." Steve felt like he had been punched in the gut. He looked around, feeling even more ill at this. He knew, deep in his heart that everyone he knew was likely dead. He was…alone. He felt something break inside him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…I just had a date" He said as he looked around. He was feeling like the world was suddenly more silent for a moment. He felt something grab at him before it vanished just as quickly, the sound of something breaking the wind hit his ears before it was gone. There was a disembodied voice going off. It spoke about someone called Iron Man flying over head heading to Europe. He looked puzzled but soon he was being shuffled into the back of the car, with the strongest two Guides of the bunch. He was taken to an apartment in Brooklyn that was fashioned to what he knew, but a large screen took up and entire wall.

"This is your place to stay till you are ready to be re-instated into a new division. The screen responds to your voice. Your Friend's Son, Howard Stark's son Tony allowed for a piece of his J.A.R.V.I.S program to help you with information on the last 70 years. Just speak and he will show you whatever you want. Try and pace yourself Captain Rogers." The man said before he was left alone, with nothing but a standard military issue clothes as well as jeans and shirt. All courtesy of SHEILD. He was alone in a room but the sounds of the outside world still beat on him,

"I wish I could hear nothing." He muttered.

"Yes, Captain Rogers." A disembodied voice said, causing him to jump. He whirled around looking for a person. Soon there was no sound. He heard nothing outside his walls.

"Uh..Thanks? Wait, who is this?"

"I am JARVIS. Agent Lucas informed you of my abilities. However, Mr. Stark had added…extra features to this Television set in order to make your stay more comfortable."

"Thanks. You know…Howard Stark was my friend." He said cautiously. Was he ready to know about what happened to those people he once knew? He sat down on the stale smelling couch. He gripped the edge of it. JARVIS was silent, as if waiting for something to do for him. He could still feel everything. His skin was still inflamed. Seventy years in the ice had caused a deep bone freeze that he figured he would feel for a long time. Every light breeze caused him pain. He was in so much pain. Thankfully JARVIS had shut down all the excess noise. His sense of sight was fine. That was one sense that he had gotten used to being extreme. It gave him the ability to look around a room once and know exactly where everything was. It was his sense of feel, smell and sight that gave him issues. That and...his ability to see the future. It still made him sick to his stomach. That disorienting sense of being outside himself for a moment to glimpse moments ahead of him. He had it when Bucky died. He had it when drove the plane into the ice. He knew that if he didn't, the world would fall to hell. It was why he was so okay with driving the plane into the ice. Being able to see the future was the one thing that no scientist could explain because only top Sentinel had it. He laughed bitterly, secretly hoping the world of today had a way of dealing with it.

"We do, sir." JARVIS said. Steve jumped, not realizing he had been speaking aloud. He looked up at the screen before him, uncertain.

"Really? How?"

"While the issue of foresight was never addressed, the dulling of a Sentinel's extreme intake of sensations has been done." Steve blinked as this before lacing his fingers together and leaning his elbows on his knees.

"With what? A substance? Those never worked on me. I can't even get drunk."

"No, sir. There are cuffs that when placed upon a person's skin, a small field in erected over the entire body. It dulls the sense of feel, hearing and smell to an average human's level. However the cuffs do not work for Matched Pairs."

Steve was reeling. He had a chance to at least be some what normal? That was a great idea. He desperately wanted something like that. While he was getting used to the world around him, he could use a way to go into it without being over loaded with information. He stood up and grabbed his leather jacket, determined to go out and find a pair of theses cuffs.

"Sir, Mr. Stark left you an advanced pair of cuffs for you. They are on the night stand beside the bed." JARVIS said. Steve paused before laughing softly. He had not even thought of asking if JARVIS could locate a store to get them. It seemed that he owed a lot to Howard's son. The man had given him not only a way to learn how the rest of the world way fairing, but also a way to live in the world without going insane. He walked into the room and found a pair of thin looking cuffs. He put them on and hissed as he felt something crawl over his skin. It moved along all parts of his body. With in a matter of moments it was over. While the feeling of being cold was still there, everything else was gone.

"Jarvis, could you please turn off the noise remover? I want to see if these work"

"Of course Sir." Then like that sound returned. Only this time it was the regular sounds. The people next door moving around, some car sounds, but not everything. He felt a grin bloom on his face. Oh yes, he could deal with this. He walked back into the living room after removing his jacket. He sat back down on the couch and looked at the screen.

"Thank you Jarvis. Now can you give me information on what happened after I...died." He said in a serious tone.

"Very Well Sir." The screen lit up and images were filling the page. JARVIS began at the beginning and Steve listened to how the world had become the way it was today.

* * *

Tony Stark blinked and stared down at the goggles that he had just completed. In all honesty, he had no idea if they would really work or not. He was just going off the information that he found in his father's journal. He tapped his fingers on the work bench, wondering who he should try them on first. The whole reason he had made them was because of Pepper and Natalie. They had come together instantaneously. A Perfect Match that came together to become a Matched Pair. Blue light and all. He couldn't believe it until he saw the security tape. The moment Natalie walked into Pepper's office to take on Pepper's old job, it was all over. Pepper had stood up sharply the moment the red head had walked into the room. Natalie had paused before she stormed across the carpet and grabbed Pepper's hand. A bright blue light shot out from their clasped hands. The Guide part of Tony was upset to lose Pepper to someone else. The Genius part of Tony was intrigued.

The Blue light signaled the coming together of a Perfect Pair. A rare occurrence even with all the Mixers the Society for Enhancements put on. Not that any of those events helped Tony at all. The only thing that helped Tony feel any better about reading thoughts and feelings was alcohol and meaningless sex. Sure people now called him a drunk playboy, but at least he wasn't going insane. Guides. He knew how quickly he could go that route. Too many emotions and mental voices could easily drive him insane. It was the reason why he avoided board meetings, he only did press interviews when he had to and went to parties occasionally. He was tired of hearing people think of him as nothing more than a guy who got lucky. More often than not, people always thought Tony was a horrible person. Except for Pepper, Natalie, Happy and Rhody, the rest of the world thought he was the worst. He could feel their hate, their animosity beating down on his from all sides whenever he left his house. Their thoughts destroyed his already fragile sense of self. His parents had ensured he never had much of one to begin with.

He shook his head, trying to clear his head from his own thoughts. He not only had to worry about other people's thoughts but his own. He tapped a few keys on the holoscreen, making a call to his favorite lady.

"Tony, whats wrong?" Pepper's voice asked serious and nervous. He rolled his eyes, not understanding why Pepper always thought he would only call her if something was wrong. Though now that she had Natalie, or better known as Natasha, he made sure to avoid calling her even more. The red head had made it clear that she did not appreciate how much he made Pepper worry about him.

"Nothing is wrong Pep. But I need you and your lovely killer down here to help me"

"Tony, I am busy running your company. I can't just come over right now."

"Yes, yes you can because you are already on your way over with Natasha to bitch at me about how I missed the Research and Development meeting." Tony said in a tired tone, his mind instantly reaching out to find her. He had a lock on her mind since she used to give his mind some kind of a reprieve. Her thoughts were kinda like an exasperated older sister. But her thoughts and feeling where always colored by affection. When she was annoyed or angry at him, there was still a strong sense of compassion, love and understanding.

"I don't appreciate you invading my Guide's privacy Stark." Natasha's cool tone said through the speaker. He could already pick up Natasha's anger. But as soon as it came, it was soothed over by Pepper's feeling for him. He felt so bad that he was virtually looking in on their bond. No other Guide to date could do that. Oh how special he was. For all his bravado and mask of a cocky arrogant man, he was not. He stood strong on the things that he believed in, fought tooth and nail to do so. But everything else was kind left to his whims.

"If only I could have the luxury of turning it off or having a Sentinel. But sadly, I don't." He quipped before he looked over his shoulder. He could hear their thoughts as they walked into the building. Well Pepper's thoughts, Natasha's thoughts were mostly silent. He looked down at the goggles and then spoke again.

"My powers are amped some reason today. Come in holding hands please." With that he hung up, knowing very well that Pepper would do as he asked. It was not like this had anything to do with a company problem or the like. He reached under the table and pulled out a glass and a bottle of scotch. He poured himself a generous amount as Pepper's and Natasha's emotional signatures came his way. They suddenly dulled and thankfully went silent. He pulled the goggles on and turned to look at the door.

What he saw when they walked in was astounding. There was a glow of a deep purple wave the seemed to completely encompass them. He stared at them, jotting down notes as he did. He paused and took a large drink off his scotch before waving his hand at them.

"Natasha move to the other side of the room." He said, his tone dismissive. But it was always like that when he got into the zone. Science was the one place he felt at home doing. He was glad he had enough alcohol in his system now to dim just a bit of the resonance that came from them moving a part. Pepper's thoughts began once again, going through an entire list of things she had to get done and things she had to make sure Tony did after this experiment. Pepper pulled out a tablet and began to work on it as Natasha moved to the other side of the room. Tony watched as the wave moved to still try and encompass them before finally breaking off. The purple coloration bled into blue and red as the waves continued to be emitted from Pepper and Natasha, respectively. He watched for a moment, waiting for something. Then it came in the form of when the waves finally settled back down to their respective frequencies and densities. While Pepper and Natasha's wave density was exactly the same, the frequency was exactly 180º out of phase. They were opposite. It made sense, Tony reasoned, that they would cancel each other other. Making it so that they could no longer pick up the extra bits from the outside world. He continued to jot down notes before he took the goggles off and set them aside. That was amazing. He began to write down all the theories that came to mind, making plans to go to a mixer event and look at other couples.

"Tony, I need you to sign some paper's. Also, the tower is nearly done. All we need is the power source." Pepper said, once again her thoughts vanishing behind the Pair Bond. He was eternally grateful that Natasha came along. He looked up, seeing the two standing by his side. Natasha was reading his notes while Pepper passed him the papers she needed him to sign. He looked at the paper, his eyes eating up the information on the papers, signing off on only the ones he was okay with and putting post it notes with information that need to be changed before he passed it to Pepper.

"So this machine makes it so a person could see the waves that cause the bonds? Are you going to make this readily available to S.H.E.I.L.D or S.E.H? This could help save many lives" Natasha asked, a tint of intrigue in her tone. They both knew just how many lives could be saved. Everyday Sentinel and Guides committed suicide when they couldn't forge Bonds. It would also help S.H.E.I.L.D's interpersonal relationship clause. It was a well known fact that S.H.E.I.L.D wanted its agents to forge Bonds. Because it kept the whole 'my boyfriend and I broke up' drama that came with in a company like their. Trained killers and emotional drama was never good. Add Guides to the mix and it was asking for problems. Tony tapped the front of the goggles in consideration.

"I suppose I could make a couple pairs for S.H.E.I.L.D and maybe a couple pairs for the Society of Enhanced Humans in specific condensed areas. But not too many because that could pose a problem." He said dull tone. He finished off his scotch before he looked at the goggles. Even with them, he seriously doubted he would be able to find a Sentinel that would be able to handle his Guide powers enough to bond with him. He had been looking all these years. No luck. Even with his money, all the Sentinel that he came into contact with him were unable to forge a strong enough bond with him. He was just...going to give up. It was the best thing he could do. Continue to drink and have random sex. It was all he could do to stay sane. It was all he could do to have some semblance at a happy life.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After the downfall of Loki and the army that came with him, the Avengers disbanded for a bit. Steve hopped onto the motorcycle that Tony Stark had fixed up for him. He never understood why the man had done it. They were at each other's throats the entire time. The only reason why they worked so well was because when they had to, they worked together for a common cause. But after that, after it was over, they moved out. Tony Stark surprised him by offering the avengers his tower, after it was remodeled of course. When it was clear that Thor was heading out, the assassins were going to another assignment and he needed to get out and see how much the world had changed. So, when he told Fury and the rest of the Avengers that he was going to be setting out the parts unknown, he had not been expecting to see a motorcycle sitting in his designated parking spot two days later. On the motorcycle was a sticky note. It read:

'**You need wheels in order to ride off into the sunset Pretty Boy -Stark. **

**PS:The Keys are on your night stand.'**

Steve was a bit taken back by this. This was too much. Already Tony had provided him with JARVIS, the TV and the Shielding Cuffs, now he was providing him with a motorcycle? He did not understand why the man who treated him with nothing but disdain would do all these things for him. Keeping in mind a majority of those things happened before Tony Stark knew him as a still, they could not get a long. He did not even bother to thank the man for the cuffs, which he wore all the time now. He never took them off for any reason. He was glad to be able to live his life as a regular person. Even before the serum, he had had issues with his senses. They would fluctuate in and out. No doctor had been able to explain it. But that did not matter now. Now he had the chance to be a regular person. He was going to take advantage of it.

So here he was, driving off through through Yosemite valley, three weeks after the invasion. He was taking in the beauty of the moment. The woods and the waterfalls he passed made him glad he was frozen in ice. While he was not getting over the sensation of still begin frozen and having all the people he knew being dead, he was still glad to be alive. Depressed, but happy for it. He pulled off at motel, using the card that had been given to him by S.H.E.I.L.D before he left as a means to pay for the room. He was walking down the hall when he started to notice something...off. He was starting to feel...sick. Not just sick as in cold, but sick as in the flu. He felt like ice was running through his veins was now being set on fire. He staggered and grunted as he slammed into the wall of the hallway. His vision was starting to blur. It was almost too much for him. He felt like he was going to throw up. Something was seriously wrong because he knew for a fact he could not get sick. He struggled to walk to his room, fumbling with his keys. He almost made it to his door when he fell to his knees. He was panting like he was having an asthma attack. He gripped his chest and struggled to catch his breath.

In the background of this attack he could hear a high pitch whine. Was he under attack? No that couldn't be it because it set in when no one was around. The whine continue until he could hear words.

"..Vu...affirmative. Mr. Rogers, S.H.E.I.L.D agents in route...hold on...hold..." His vision tunneled and he felt his head hit the door as he collapsed. Blackness over took his vision and all he could think was that he was going to die without thanking Tony for all he had done in spite of his poor attitude towards him.

As he started to come to, he was assaulted from all sides by everything. Sounds, smell, sensation, and tastes. He was grabbing at the sheets in agony. His eyes snapped open as he teared at his wrists, searching for the cuffs only to find his wrists bare. He let out an agonizing snarl as he looked around, trying to find them. The cuffs were the only thing that allowed him a moment of sanity. They allowed him not to be consumed by the sensations. The sensation were eating away as his sanity already. He struggled to keep his mind focused on where he was, but everything was too much. Just too much. He was spiralling down and he couldn't stop himself. He felt some one outside himself trying to help but it wasn't enough. He kept spiralling.

"Fuck, Rogers relax!" Barton's voice pierced his desperate haze. The Archer Guide looked like he was struggling to contain something. Steve looked confused before he realized that Clint was trying to keep too many sensation from bombarding Steve. That was the power of the Guides on the Sentinel. The Guides could, for unexplainable reasons, control the senses of the Sentinel. Some people reasoned it was because the Guide could feel when the Sentinel' senses were bearing down on their sanity and could counter their minds away from their sense. Clint looked like he was in pain. Steve tried to relax, but it wasn't working. He had been using the cuffs for about a month, so this intense bout of sensation were driving him into madness. He could barely hear Clint's cursing over all the other sounds, But he did hear what Clint said into his phone loud and clear.

"Coulson, get Stark. Rogers is spiraling out of control." The tone was biting and hard. Steve couldn't focus on it long because everything was just becoming greater and greater. His mind struggled to overcome it all. They were on the Helicarrier, so everything made more noise and everything smelt like ozone, gasoline, grease, sweat, life, death and on and on and on. His mind struggle to categorize the sudden in flux of information. He felt like his mind was going to fracturing and splintering off into pieces as it struggled to process everything. He was about to succumb to the madness when he felt something dim the rough edges of everything. It wasn't enough though. There was the sound of cursing someone muttering about being too far away. Quickly the dulling of his senses spread from the edges closer and closer to the core of himself. His mind was still struggling to catch up on everything, but how much was lessen each passing moment. Soon there was nothing. Well not nothing, but all the sensations that came from outside the room vanished. All he could hear was footsteps walking in a quick pace towards the room. Clint let out a sigh, clearly glad to feel the madness abate from Steve's mind. Steve was confused but the answer came from when Tony entered the room. His deep brown eyes were focused on Steve and he couldn't help but blush a bit under the man's intense stare. Everything felt more settled. His mind was no longer going into madness but it was still struggling to rewire all the damage he had caused himself.

"Well Cap, you have proven that even you are stupid enough to not see the warning signs that your life is in danger." The man said in a snarky tone. Clint simply rolled his eyes as Tony walked to one seat and sat in it. The brunette leaned back into his chair, staring intently at the blond before he pulled out his tablet. He began to work, focusing on the electronic device. Steve closed his eyes, feeling his mind working on repairing itself already. He had been able to avoid entiering the Oblivion State during the World War without the cuffs because he had a reason to use his hieghtened senses as a means to dominate the battle field. His eye sight allowed him to memorize a map that he barley glanced at. His hearing allowed him to dodge flying bullets and his sense of smell allowed him to smell a bomb trap yards a head of him. He had a reason to take advantage of his senses. But in civiliar life it was too much. He had no reason for it. He just wanted to be Steve Rogers, scrawny and unhealthy guy with amazing art skills. That is what he wanted to be when he was civilian. But he couldn't be that any more. He was the man He knew his mind was fixing itself because of the massive headache he had building between his eyes. He just wanted to be normal for a little bit longer, but it seemed the more he tried to be normal, the more damage he did to himself. He either had to resigned to a life of courting insanity or an endless cycle of hurting himself. But for now, he took advantage of Stark's strong Guide presences and fell into a light slumber.

"Why couldn't you just cancel his senses from your workshop? I thought your range was beyond compare?" Clint asked, curiosity in his voice. Tony shrugged and sighed.

"He was spiraling down too fast and, it must be the serum, but his signal is strong enough to make it difficult without it also be erratic and chaotic. So I have to becloser in order to have my powers work the strongest. And no, to answer that thought, I do not want him to spiral off into oblivion. If he did, we would have one hell of a problem on our hands. With his tactical knowledge, strength, speed and abilities, he would be a force to be reckoned with should he fall into the Oblivion state. Now leave Barton, your thoughts and feelings are driving me mad." Tony said in a dismissive tone, clearly busy with his own work. Clint did not seem bother by Tony's abrupt tone.

Everyone in SHEILD knew that Tony was an ass, but he was an ass for a reason. He was the strongest Mentalist ever record in history, which also meant he was the closest to insanity and self-destruction then the rest of the world. The man courted death and agony like he courted a willing woman. Tony did not like people in general because their thoughts and feeling constantly bombarded him. He knew the darkness in a man's heart and the selfish thoughts that were always on a person's mind. The only reason he could stand being on the Helicarrier was because most of the agents were paired off. Not all were perfect matches, but a majority of them had strong bonds. It helped keep the operatives ground and rooted. It also kept their mental waves down to near nothing when they were around each other.

Telepathy was granted to only those Guides born with strong empathy. It was thought that the empathy made it easier for the Guides to read a person's thoughts. Either way, Tony had a hard time dealing with it all. Anyone would have a hard time dealing with it. But at the same time it was a huge asset to his business. He was able to be on top of everything because he could read thoughts and feelings. However, it was a Catch-22. He could learn information from a person's thoughts and emotions but at the same time he could be driven mad if he enters a building with a bunch of people without some serious alcohol in his system.

Tony looked at Captain America, gleaning the madness that was abating for the blond's emotions and mind. HE could feel a sense of relief coming from him and also a sense of regret. Tony figured that it had to do with the fact that he could not wear the bracelets all the time. He was not getting any thoughts though. He knew that was because the man's mind waves were all over the place. It would be a while before they settled back down into their usual pattern. Then Steve Roger would just be another voice in Tony's head. That was the last thing he wanted to listen to. He did not want to hear about how much he was not like his father or how his father was better then him. No way was he going to allow that to happen. Tony pulled out his phone and started to text his two favorite ladies.

To: Pep

From: Tony

MSG: Is Natasha busy? I have a new mission for her. For Captain America.

To:Tony

From: Pepper

MSG: No, she is not busy. What do you want Tony? Is Steve ok?

To: Pep

From: Tony

MSG:He is fine. I just need to know if Natasha put those goggles in the places I asked her too. We need to find Cap a match

To:Tony

From: Natasha

MSG: I did.

To:Tony

From: Pepper

MSG: She said she already did it. When will you be at the Tower?

To: Pep

From: Tony

MSG: In about a day. I will meet you at 3 tomorrow. Both of you ok?

To:Tony

From: Pepper

MSG: Of course. See you then.

Tony smiled, glad that he did not get too much of a fight from either of them on this. They wanted Steve to be ok as much as SHEILD did. That meant finding him a match, someone to curb the input that Steve was constantly getting from the outside world. He glanced once more at the Super Solider before he just went back to working. He knew that Steve would be in and out as his mind worked to repair the damage. Tony felt…nothing being in the same room as Steve. He hadn't before either. He figured that was because the man had been wearing the bands even then. But now? Now he was band less, yet Tony's waves didn't react to Steve's. That meant that even though the Super Solider had strong waves, Tony still surpassed him. Tony let out a sigh, knowing that if Captain America's waves couldn't match his in strength, then who's could?

Tony worked through the night and well into the next day. He was working on a making it so that his tablet's camera could see the waves as well. That way he had a set of goggles on his at all times without it actually being goggles. He finished right at noon the next day. Steve was still out of it. It was normal. Tony knew people who were out for weeks after spending that many days with the bands on. Tony was getting ready to leave when he felt…something. It was a strange tugging sensation. He looked at Steve, startled. The man was still asleep. It had been a glorious feeling. Because for a moment, the outside noise was gone. No one's thoughts and emotions. Nothing. For a split second he had peace. But now they flooded back in. Tony staggered, shaking his head to re-acclimate himself to the normal level of noise that came from the Helicarrier.

He brought his tablet up and ran the program he just put into it. The camera focused on Steve. It showed the waves coming off him. Then the camera facing Tony took a snap shot of Tony's waves. Then the two waves were placed on top of each other. Tony's had a faster frequency and a large strength. Steve's were slower and thinner but was almost laying exactly on top of Tony's. But it was not out of phase. There was no cancellation. Tony shut the tablet down. He figured Steve's wave had, for a moment, been out of phase with his. For a moment they had been a perfect match. But that moment was over and Tony returned to being bombarded by everything. Being a Guide was never fun, especially when insanity was just around the next corner.

He walked out of the Helicarrier, ignoring the starttled cries that came from some of the newer members of SHEILD. He felt an impossible amount of joy as he free fell through the sky. He tapped the bracelets on his wrists, summoing his Iron Man suit. He felt so free falling without anything to protect him. It was similar to the life he lead.. He was always falling wihtout something to catch him, always swimming in unwanted thoughts and feelings. He knew that one day either he would fall to his death or someone would make it so that his thoughts and those of his Bond Mate were the only ones he could hear. The suit wrapped around him and soon he was landing safely on the top of the newly remodled Stark Tower.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Tony skipped the last couple of stairs to his workshop. He wanted to get this project set up before handing it off to the one person he knew was capable of handling it. Over the years Pepper had not gotten enough credit for all the things she did. So this time he was going to give her control over a world changing project. He already got the Council for the Society of Enhanced Humans to back up the project. He also used some of his own personal money to ensure the project went off without a hitch. He already had two pairs of the goggles in circulation. One on the East coast and the other on the west coast. For the last couple of hours, Sentinels and the Guides from all over were gathering together in mixers and having their aura scanned. The data was being sent, instantaneously to JARVIS.

He just had to finish working on the program and user interfacing system to make it easier for Pepper to handle. The Society had said that they were willing to help Pepper with her work, if she agreed to do it, by doing more mixers to gather more data. Then they would move it internationally. Tony focused everything he had on getting the programming just right. It was when he was working on something that he could, for that moment, disconnect from the world around him and just focus on something else. He was nearly finished with his work when he was suddenly assaulted amusement and mental snickering. He jerked up right to find Pepper and Natasha standing in his lab, smiling like mischievous children. Tony scowled at them

"I hate it when you two do that. Really, Pep? I expected better from you. You~" He waved his hand at Natasha "Not so much. But nice going getting her to loosen up. What time is it? Oh yes, it is three. Good" He clapped his hands together before he tapped the screen of the tablet once more. The system reset itself in order to reboot with the newer program installed. He looked at them before he grabbed a tumbler of bourbon and took a large swallow off the amber liquid.

"Are you ok Tony?" Pepper asked as concerned washed off her in strong waves. It was only her closeness to Natasha that canceled out her thoughts as well. She reached out and took a hold of Natasha's hand when she noticed Tony wince. It seemed emotions were running higher today. He could feel so much that it was nearly suffocating him. He hadn't noticed it before because his mind had been focused on the tablet. But now he had nothing to focus on, so his mind sought out everything to focus on. He figured his genius was the reason why his powers were so strong. His mind needed to be occupied at all times. What better way to do that then to get constant input from everyone in a 25 miles range? He took another shot of bourbon, feeling his senses numb a bit more.

"Yeah, just spent the last several hours keeping Capsicle from spiraling into Oblivion. Took a toll on me. Anyways, I brought you here because I want to give you something. More like give you your own baby. Not baby baby but a project." He said waving off Natasha' dark look. He clapped his hand and instantly an image came up. It showed Natasha's and Pepper's waves laid over each other. The words 'Project: Match' were in bold. He waved his hand and the image changed to the bullet points of what he figured Pepper already knew.

"Basically, Steve is one of the most powerful Sentinels to date. Without a bond and with enough time he will either do serious damage to himself or he will end up doing some serious damage to others. His case, though it seems like it, is not unique. Every day we have to deal with the fact that Sentinels and Guides are spiraling off into insanity and harming people at the same time. Not everyone is as versed as I am in avoiding insanity " Natasha snorted, he pointedly ignored it and continued on.

"I have created and found a way to make this reality a myth. I have the means to help people find their Perfect Match. Even if that can't be found, a list of other really good bond mates can be given. Think about it. A world where a Sentinel does not have to fear Oblivion. Where a Guide doesn't have to numb themselves in order to make it through life." Tony paused, trying to keep the desperation out of his tone. He knew that the two women understood why this project was so important to Tony. Why it would be a life saver for the man. He had, privately, ran his wave through the database he had created and found nothing. There was no one who would even be able to form a tentative bond with him. He had no more hope. But he could make it so that there was hope for everyone else in the Enhanced Human society. He could keep suicides among them to a minimum. He had the means to help. But he had a bias that would make it difficult for him to do the project himself. He knew it would not help his sense of self to see all those happy couple getting matched up.

"This the the project I want to give to you Pep. I will have nothing to do with it other the providing the equipment. The Society is backing the project. Out of all the people in the world, you Pep are the one who has the abilities and the heart to take this project global." Tony wished, holding out the tablet to Pepper. Natasha had a tiny smile on her face as she looked at Pepper, who was squeezing her hand tightly. Pep looked shocked but took the tablet in her hands. She looked at it then Tony. Her eyes narrowed for a moment.

"What is in it for you?" She asked carefully. Tony held up his hands and gave her and impish smile.

"All I ask in return is that the first person you do this for is Captain America. Steve is on the verge of breaking down. He was already there when he came out of the ice. Now he is even closer to insanity after using those cuffs for as long as he did. He needs a Bond Mate. He needs to have a perfect match. I was unable to upload his aura into the system, so you will have to go to him for it. But that is all I ask." Tony said in a sincere tone. Pep's eyes softened as she stepped to him and kissed his cheek. She pulled back and smiled before she brought the tablet up and clicked a button. Tony tensed as she took a sample of his aura. She gave him a small smile.

"I know you already tried it with all the auras you have gathered, but I want to be extra thorough. Just in case someone comes up. " She said in a soft tone. Tony couldn't knock her for it. Pepper was his closest friend and his confidant. He knew that she only had his best interest at heart. It tore her up inside to know the pain he constantly suffered with. She knew that was why he drank and was a playboy. She was not a fool. Even though his aura was so strong that it was nearly unreadable to all other Guides, she could tell by his mannerism how much pain he was dealing with everyday.

"So, Stark. Why am I needed for this?" Natasha asked, finally speaking up. Tony grinned at her.

"Well someone has to keep a watch on Pepper at all times. What would happen if you are not there and another Sentinel does not like what she tells him?" He said with a cocky grin. He knew Natasha was not the kind of person to allow anyone to harm Pepper. Even when the super spy was off on missions, someone was looking out for Pepper. He had fucking spies in his building at all times it seemed. He didn't care. Pepper needed protecting. Natasha's eyes darkened for a moment before she nodded in a serious way.

"Okay, so it seems you got the aura snap shot part down. Let me help you figure out the rest." And like that, Pepper became to leader of Project: Match. Tony felt no hope for himself to be matched, but he was ever hopeful that Steve would be able to find someone. He just hoped that someone would be able to help Steve feel like a apart of this time as well as give the Super Solider someone to care for. That is what Steve needed.

* * *

Steve was still laying in that bed three days after Stark left. It took his mind longer to fix all the damage done to it, but according to the doctors his recovery was quick. He laid in that bed, trying to not be overwhelmed by everything. Clint came in often to try and ease the beat of all the things going on. It helped, if only a little bit. But every bit helped him remain in a normal state of mind. He never got close to the Oblivion state, which was good. The Oblivion state was what happened when a Sentinel lost themselves to everything. The mind was consumed by everything and the Sentinel goes mad. They turn into monsters. They know no reason, no morality, and no limit. They kill and destroy anything that causes sensation. Which is everything and with their superior strength, they are deadly. Which is why it is so critical for powerful Sentinel to find a bond mate. It was the reason why Clint was around so much. Even though the man was bonded to Agent Coulson, he was still a powerful enough Guide to keep Steve's senses restrained some what.

Today Clint was sitting there with a shit eating grin on his face, anxiously awaiting for Steve to ask why it was there. Steve was not going to raise to the bait just yet, he was going to let the man stew for a bit. He was focused on a book that had been given to him. It was standard history book. It was the first thing he asked for. He wanted to catch up on all the things that changed. Since his mind needed something else to focus on, he figured that learning would help. But soon the Archer was practically jumping up and down on the chair. He sighed and closed the book and gave Clint an exasperated look.

"Okay, out with it. What is so exciting?" Steve asked, genuinely curious but he did not want to give the other man the satisfaction of knowing.

"Stark figured out the science behind Match Pairs and created a pair of goggles that can read the signature of Sentinels and Guides. He launched this program with the backing of the Society of Enhanced Humans to help Sentinels and Guides find their Perfect Match or near perfect matches. Pepper Potts, Tony's Personal Assistant, is spear heading the program. Guess who they are matching first?" Clint said with a wide grin. Steve was still reeling at the possibilities. To be able to have help finding a person's Perfect Match, the equivalent to a soul mate, was something he could not wrap his mind around. He stared at Clint with his mouth a gaped. Surely the man couldn't mean...him? No, that would be beyond generous of Tony. No, it had to be someone else. A Perfect Match was the one person who could make the sensation dim. The one person who could make life easier. It was a dream for every Sentinel and Guide to find that person. That soul mate that would make life better.

"...Who? You?" Steve asked, trying not to get his hopes up. Clint just rolled his eyes at this.

"Oh come on, you know it's you. Tony knows what it is like to be on the edge of insanity. He is the most powerful Guide ever recorded. He is basically courting sanity everyday. It didn't help that Pepper turned out to be a Perfect Match to Natasha. I think that is why Tony made her the Head of this project, because she has a Perfect Match. That and she is scary good at organization." Clint said with a wave of his hand. Steve swallowed, not believing how generous Tony was being. Even after their fighting on the Helicarrier during the Invasion Tony never stopped being generous with him. It seemed the man had a strange way of being a kind person. He was a huge ass most times. Hardly ever serious, always hiding behind a mask and seemed to be out for himself. Yet Steve saw beneath all of that to see a very generous, sensitive and scared man. He would never let anyone else know this. Part of him wanted to protect Tony but knew he couldn't. The only person who could truly protect Tony from all that caused him harm would be Tony's perfect match. Tony and Steve had been in the same room and nothing had ever happened.

"I...don't know what to say to that. What do you think my chances are?" Steve asked, wondering how much data could have been culminated since the beginning of the project.

"Very high. Knowing Pepper, she has thousands of candidates already, and more coming in daily. I seriously think Pepper has a super power. I think it is some kind of super multitasking power. She gets a hold of something and it is guaranteed to be a huge success."

"Why thank you Clint, I believe that is the greatest compliment I have ever received." Pepper said as she swept into the room. Steve felt his mouth go dry. Pepper Potts was a beauty. Her hair was neat as a pin and her suit fit her perfect. She held herself in a way that would make any man stand at attention. She gave Steve the kindest of smiles before sitting in the chair by his bed side. Steve was glad that he was prompted up against the head board, because he would feel even more uneasy if he had been lying down.

"How are you today Captain Rogers?" She asked in a cool tone. Steve felt his senses lessen even more, indicating that Pepper Potts was a Guide. He gave her a shy smile.

"Very well, Ma'am. Yourself?" He asked, hoping he wasn't making her day difficult by coming here. He would hate to be a burden to an already busy woman.

"It is going very well. Tony seems to be taking Stark Industries seriously now, which allows me to devote more time to Project:Match" She said with a charming smile. She seemed like she was glad to have a serious project that changed lives. She looked down at the tablet on her lap and tapped the screen. As the information uploaded and updated, she looked back at him.

"So Steve, what did Clint tell you about Project Match?"

"Not much. Just that it is a way to help Sentinels find the right Guide for them"

"That is true. Tony discovered that each Sentinel has a signature...aura of sorts. Their perfect match has the exact opposite aura. They counter act each other. But if there is not Perfect Match to be found, and you feel like you can not wait, we can culminate a list of near perfect matches for you to look over. Our goal is to help Sentinels and Guides have a better life. Especially a Sentinel of your caliber." She explain with a pleased tone. It was clear that she was proud of this project. It may have been Tony's gadget and find, but it was Pepper's project. She looked over to the door and gave a fond smile. Steve looked over to see Natasha materialize for a moment only to vanish as Coulson walked by the door way. He chuckled a bit. It was clear that both of them were checking in on their matches. It was kinda nice to know that soon he may have that himself. He looked back at Pepper.

"So, what do you say Steve. Do you want to be the first person we match?" Pepper was looking back down at the tablet, making it do strange things. Or at least strange to Steve. He felt his heart beat quickly in his chest. Could he do this? There was no question on whether or not he could do it. It was more a question if he was ready for the answers that came from this. He swallowed the thumb in his throat.

"Yeah, I am ready." He said in an uneasy tone. He wasn't really sure if he was, but he wanted it. He wanted to have what the cuffs had once gave him. He wanted someone to call his own. Wanted someone to care of and protect. That is what he always wanted, what he always dreamed of. Pepper gave him a fond smile before she raised the tablet up and took a snap shot of Steve's aura. She set the tablet back down on her lap. She mad eit go through all the waves she had gathered in the last three days.

"This will take a moment. I have to ask, do you have a preference of gender?" She asked, preparing to find him a nearly perfect match if the program could not find a perfect match for Steve.

"Like a majority of the Enhanced Humans, I don't care for gender, but If I had to chose I would chose male." Steve said. He noted the look of shock on Clint's face. He knew that everyone knew about Peggy but it was for hat reason he preferred male. Any female would be compared to Peggy. He could not do the same with a male. Before he could explain this Pepper's tablet let out a strange sound. Pepper even jumped at the noise. She looked down at it. She stared at it and her mouth fell open. She was so still it was scaring Steve. Clint tensed a bit, likely feeling what Pepper was going through. With in moments Natasha was in the room, quickly followed by Coulson. Natasha was at Pepper's side in a heart beat. The red head looked down at the tablet and did the scariest thing he ever saw. She smiled. Pepper looked up at Natasha then Steve. She was staring at him in pure shock...and joy. There suddenly tears in her eyes.

"You have a Perfect Match" She whispered, covering her mouth for a moment. She let out a soft laugh that sounded like a sob as well. Steve was even more on edge now. Why would Pepper be crying about him having a Perfect Match. Was the person dead? He swallowed and shifted, feeling uncertain now.

"R-really? That's great...Who is it?" He asked, looking from Clint to Natasha and then back at Pepper. Pepper laughed again before grabbing Natasha's hand tightly. It was obvious that she was telling her Match to tell Steve.

"Tony Stark is your Perfect Match" Natasha said in a cool tone. Steve stared at her before he jerked off the bed and snatched up the tablet. He had to see this for himself. He couldn't believe it.

"That's not possible. He was int he same room with me for almost an entire day. I would have felt it." He muttered. He stared down at the screen. There on the screen was Tony's wave. It was a thick blue wave that had a lot of bumps in it. Steve's red wave was just as thick and was exactly opposite to Tony's in every way. He stared down at it as the word Perfect Match flashed on and off on the screen. Steve felt his world narrow. In that moment all he could see was that screen. All he could hear was his heart beat. That was it. This was his match. His match was Tony Stark; Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philathropist and the Powerful Guide. He looked up from the screen to Pepper and asked the one question that was on everyone's mind.

"How did we not know?"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

_"How did we not know?"_

That was the question on all the occupants of the room. It was a question that needed an answer. Pepper looked contemplative as Natasha spoke to Coulson in low hushed tones. Eventually Coulson said he had paperwork to do before leaving the room. Steve watched as Clint walked to the edge of his bed and gave him a smirk.

"Well we know that since you were wearing the bracelets during your first couple of meetings with Tony that they were the reason you didn't know he was your perfect match. But as for being in the same room for him a couple of days, I have no idea. I mean, only Tony and a group of scientists know how the bracelet actually work" Clint said with a shrug. That was all the other man seemed to know. Which was fine because Pepper made a soft hum before speaking herself.

"I just asked JARVIS to pull up all data he has on you Steve and it seems that Tony already took a sample of your wave. It doesn't match yours right now. Which would be the reason why you didn't know. Strange"

"Not….so much…" A timid voice said from just outside the door. Just outside was Bruce Banner. The timid man hesitated before walking into the room. He paused just inside the door, looking around before settling on Pepper.

"It is not really strange when you think about it. The bracelets suppress the Sentinels senses. It could easily also suppress the natural wave. Ever since the bracelet's creation, we knew that long term wear would trigger the Oblivion state. It wouldn't be hard to draw the conclusion that the bracelet's suppression of the natural wave causes that wave to act in strange ways. The body would want to correct this altered wave in order to return to normal, which could very well be the Oblivion state." Bruce said in a even tone. That man was painfully shy, for good reasons, but it was nice to know that Bruce was willing to tell them about this. It was a known fact that the Guide was very close friends with Tony, or closer then Clint.

"That…makes sense…" Steve said, trailing off, not really sure what to say to that. Bruce was the doctor who would know more about that kind of stuff then himself. There wasn't much he could offer in the way of an explanation for why he and his Perfect Match had sat in the same room for two days, bracelets free, and never suspected what they were to one another. Pepper was looking at him with the softest of smiles. It was clear that she took this news well. He couldn't help but feel a little bad for Pepper. The woman had to stand by and watch Tony, knowing that one day he may just end it all, and know she could do nothing to stop it.

"We should get you to your Match" Pepper said, her eyes sliding to Natasha. The assassin gave Pepper a smile, one Steve wasn't sure Natasha had in her. Just then Pepper's and Bruce's phones went off with a loud shriek. Pepper instantly turned ashen. Natasha was at her side once more, grasping her Match's elbow. Steve winced as the sound went off again. Bruce yanked his phone open before making a call. While it would have been private if there hadn't been Sentinels and a matched Guide in the room.

"Stark."

"Tony are you okay? You're breathing sounds erratic?" Bruce asked, looking at Steve, who was now gripping the bed rail tightly. It was clear that the man was readying himself to leave the helicarrier.

"Bruce…I…I got a…no never mind. The alcohol isn't working. I'm on the edge of a spiral" That was all he had to say. Bruce muttered a curse before shifting his phone to shoot off a text to Coulson. Not that he needed to since Clint was now staring off at a wall, clearly communicating with Phil. It was strange to know that was possible with Perfect Matches. Pepper seemed to have recovered in record time, already on her phone making the proper arrangements for the safe house. Natasha vanished after telling Steve she was going to the jet ready to head out.

"Coulson is on in route. The safe house is initiated now. JARVIS is being downloaded as we speak." Was all Bruce could say. It was not his place to tell Tony that his Perfect Match was also heading that way. The Safe house was a set up by The Society of Enhanced Human, not SHIELD. Which would mean that there would be a commotion when Steve arrived in a jet. By the time Bruce closed the phone, Steve, Natasha and Clint were gone, leaving him alone with Pepper, who was sitting int he chair beside the bed. It was clear she was frightened for Tony. He walked up to her and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"We did not find Steve too late. He will save Tony. Don't worry" Pepper looked up and gave him a small smile, seeming to need that reassurance.

"Plus your Match is taking him, she would do anything to keep you happy." Bruce said amused. Natasha was on scary woman when she was on any kind of mission. And when it was a mission that involved Pepper's happiness in an inadvertent way…well Bruce did not want to see the people that tried to step in Natasha's way.

The moment Steve heard that Tony was on the edge of a spiral, he was out of the bed, into his boots and out of the door. It was the solider training in him that allowed him to do all that without tripping over his own feet. He was a mere two steps behind Natasha, who was calmly calling out orders to get the jet ready for them. They were in the air before any one could even bother to order them to do something else. Steve was on edge. He had no idea where they were taking Tony, but he hoped that it was some where safe and without people. His foot bounced up and down, trying to rid himself of the pent up energy that was surfacing.

"Rogers, you are creating turbulence. Be still or else" Romanoff said in a cold tone. It was clear she did not appreciate Steve making it harder for her to fly the jet. Steve stopped moving, going stone still. They flew in silence. Steve's mind was racing over all the possibilities and all his hope that he would be what Tony needed. He hoped that Tony was okay with him being his Perfect Match. They hadn't had the nicest first set of meetings, but he wanted to make up for that. He wanted to be the one that Tony could rely on, like he could Pepper and Bruce.

It seemed that no one informed the compound that they were arriving, because when they touched down, the place erupted into chaos. There were people moving out of his way, which was a good thing. Steve instantly felt a tug deep down in him and his mind was on the hunt for the source. He snarled when he sensed that there were Bond-less Sentinels around his Match. He was not amused by this, even though rationally he knew it was all for Tony's sanity. Steve moved through the compound like he was familiar with it, when he wasn't. He could only do it because he was following the tugging in his mind and gut. He could feel how close he was getting to Tony.

He stopped just outside the door, people shouting around him. Window ordering people to stand down, Coulson doing the same but none of that matter. Steve yanked the door open and stood there, stunned. There in the bed was Tony, who looked ruffled and out of sorts, but very much alive. He had been so focused on getting to Tony, that he didn't even notice that he felt things in moderation. None of that matter, because Tony was there…reaching out to him. He strode across the man, desperate to grab a hold of that hand. He knew he no longer had to long for that hand, the hand of his Perfect Match. It was there. He grasped it, mindful of his strength. It felt like everything fell into place. The last puzzle piece was in place and now he could finally see the entire picture. A future for himself that wasn't riddled with loneliness, pain and imperfect bonds.

Steve was temporarily blinded by the flash of blue before he felt exhausted. He knew he was going to black out from this. He struggled to remain conscious, if only to make sure when he blacked out he didn't smother his Match. He fell beside the unconscious Tony, pulling the man into his arms with their hands still clasped.

* * *

_'Just one more drink and he'll be mine' _A male's thought though in Tony's direction.

Tony felt his stomach roll in protest as all the wrong type of thoughts pressed in around his mind. He tossed back the drink, ignoring the feeling of triumph that rolled over his skin. He could hear everyone's thoughts pressing in around him still. This wasn't good. Not good at all. He stood up and cursed as he swayed. He had drank enough to drown it all out. Yet it seemed his abilities had officially surpassed the point where alcohol could numb them. He had been expecting it for some time, but certainly not now. Not when he needed a sense of clarity and stillness. He couldn't do it. He couldn't stop it. He felt the inky darkness the man across the room was exuding from his body. It out weighed all the other thoughts and feelings that were in the room.

'Just wait for him to stumble outside and I will have my goal.' The man started to walk towards Tony. Tony pushed up, knowing very well the stupid person wasn't well versed on how strong of a Guide Tony was, or else he would have tried to mask his thoughts. Not that it would have stopped Tony from knowing them, but at least he wouldn't be outright broadcasting them to the rest of the room. The only thing that worked in the man's favor was the fact no other Guides were at a level to hear thoughts.

Tony reached into his pocket and pressed a button. It was a button that Pepper had forced him to install in his personal phone after the terrorists had kidnapped him. It sent a signal to JARVIS which in turn would send an alert to SHEILD. Tony gripped the chair in front of him, ignoring the rest of the room. He felt his stomach revolt as the man brushed passed him. That evil, dark, sickening aura coated over his skin, marking him almost. He felt bile rise up his throat. His phone went off. He picked up.

"Stark"

"Tony are you okay? You're breathing sounds erratic?" Bruce's voice asked across the line. Tony hadn't realized that he was starting to hyperventilating. Not good. Not good at all.

"Bruce…I…I got a…no never mind. The alcohol isn't working. I'm on the edge of a spiral" That was all he had to say. Bruce muttered a curse before he heard clicking of keys on the other end.

"Coulson is on in route. The safe house is initiated now. JARVIS is being downloaded as we speak."

"T-thanks" He said softly, glad that he could trust Bruce. He hadn't been sure he could at first, but he knew deep down that Bruce would help in any way he could. He pushed off the chair and put his phone away, glad the guy had stepped outside during the conversation. He did not want to be vulnerable any more then he already was. He waited a total of five minutes before he stumbled outside, knowing that Coulson would be there any moment. He stumbled off to one side, trying to avoid people, but that was next to impossible. His vision was blurring from both the alcohol and the constant influx of thoughts and feelings.

'Hessuchandasswhothefuckisthi sOHMYGODITSTONYSTARKthatdeat hdealingasshole.'

HATELUSTPAINANGERRAGEEVILDAR KNESSWANTNEEDSORROWLUST

Tony was dizzy and sick. He wanted it all to stop. Stop. Stop. He felt someone grab his arm and yank him backwards. He struggled, not liking the inky slick feeling that rolled over his skin. It was all becoming too muhc. He didn't want to do this anymore. He struggled a bit more till the hand let go. There was a blooming of pain that was tearing through him before someone else grabbed him. Things dimmed a bit. The feeling of concern and lightness moved over him. The sense of ordinary falsified creeped over him before he was ushered into a car. He knew it was Coulson. Only that man could seem so ordinary yet not be. He was still struggling as Coulson spoke into his phone. It turned out the car was actually one of Stark Industries latest inventions. Like Steve's motorcycle, the car could hit speeds that no other car could.

The city was beating down on him. He felt maybe ten precent less then without Coulson there. He was beginning to feel less and less as they raced out of the city and headed into the middle of no where. The only place he was safe from everything was 100 miles out of the city and well away from any large population of people. The middle of the no where. That is where he would end up spending the rest of his days. Certainly there was no certain fate then his. He had tried to find a Sentinel that would be able to give him something, anything of a regular life. They had all failed. So he was going to a compound where he would have to remain for likely the rest of his life, except in the case of when he was in his suit. He still couldn't figure out how the suit blocked out everything, but it did. So he would not have to give up his hero duties.

When they arrived at the compound, Tony felt even better because of the number of sentinels and bonded pairs that were there. The Society of Enhanced Humans had set up this compound right after he declared that he would not be able to find a sentinel. It was set up in a way that the bonded pairs orbited each other and the unbound sentinels shielded him at much as they could. Since any sentinel had to be of a higher caliber to even be assigned to the compound, the combined effort worked well.

Coulson was ushering Tony into the building. Tony was still very drunk and still in a spiral, though considerably slower spiral now. Tony let out a soft groan as his mind was immediately blankets by a series of shields and emptiness. It seemed that this wasn't going to be so bad. Tony stumbled and fell into a bed that Coulson seemed to have produced. Or was it he was finally to the room? It didn't matter much to him any more. His mind was struggling to process everything. There was echoes in his mind. Residual feelings and thoughts bouncing around in his mind from earlier. If he wasn't a genius and if he wasn't a strong guide, he would have already succumb to the Spiral. But because of those things, he was able to push it off some. He was able to process the information faster, but no fast enough to stop it. His eyes tightened as pain crept down his head to his spine. He gripped the sheets and whimpered.

It wasn't enough. Some of the bond pairs were separating. Soon fear and uncertainty was all around him. Multiple set thoughts about a stranger moving quickly towards the compound, a threat and a feral state were beating down around him. He let out a cry of pain before there was….nothing. Nothing but a strong pulse of electricity running down him. He let out a gasp as his eyes snapped open. He felt a pull deep in his stomach. But his body was to weak to answer it. The spiral had taken his strength from him. But he wanted that pull. The silence that descended upon him was unlike anything he had ever felt before. There was no thoughts or feelings save his own. There was nothing but a powerful sense of peace. There was something else, but it was being blocked from him.

He struggled to get up, struggled to sit up on the bed. Tony wanted to get to the source of that feeling. He wanted for his own. It was his. He needed it to survive. He was upright when he heard commotion outside the door. Suddenly the door slam open. He looked up startled. There, in the door way was Steve Rogers. Those blue eyes flashed with desire, needed, want, fear, and there was a deep feral look to them. Tony stared before he just reached out his hand, subconsciously knowing that Steve was his source of peace. His means of sanity and his Perfect Match.

Steve crossed the room like a man possessed. That larger hand grasped Tony's more nimble one. The feeling of completion and perfection filled them before they both felt something snap into place. A bright blue light filled the room, the compound and lit up the sky. The strength of the bond snapping into place was enough to knock the Bond Pair out. They collapsed on the bed, knocked into a deep sleep. Their hands remained tightly clasped, neither willing to let go even in their sleep.

* * *

A/N: Hot Sex, Next Chapter


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 6**  
**

**Contentment****.** Joy. **Happiness**. **Love.** Compassion. _**Loyalty**_. _Honor_. Sadness. **Longing**. _Confusion_. **DESIRE**

All those emotions greeted Tony as he awoke. They were not his own. But the good thing was that they only came from one source. He was even more surprised that he caught only snippets of the thoughts of the source. He opened his eyes, finally becoming aware of the fact that there was a thick arm around his waist and a strong body pressed against his back . It took his mind a moment to bring up the last thing he remembered. He melted backwards as he remembered how Steve came in. The flash of blue light that flashed, indicating them as perfect matches. He couldn't believe it. He was bonded. And not just to anyone, he was bonded to Steve Rogers. Captain America. Mr. Too Good To Be True. He looked over his shoulder, wanting it to be true.

There laid Steve. Blond hair tussled from sleep. His hand firmly wrapped around Tony's waist, their fingers interlocking together. He just stared in awe. How could he have been so lucky as to gain a Bondmate like Steve? He must have been a better man in his past life then he was in this one in order to deserve a man like him. He took in a deep breath and held it when Steve's eyes slowly opened. Tony took in the image of Steve's eyes half open, staring at Tony's twisted body. He watches as sleep vanished and clarity came into those deep blue eyes. Those eyes slowly move up his back to capture his own. Tony just stared before Steve sat up on his free elbow. There eyes were locked.

Tony was lost in that gaze, feeling the love grow between them. Some how Steve's hand was at his cheek, pulling him around to face him. Tony just went with it, his gaze never wandering. He let that breath he was holding tumble from his lips as Steve pulled his face closer to his. There was a question in that gaze. Tony must have responded positively because Steve's lips were on his. They didn't close their eyes like story books said they would. Their eyes remained open, not wanting to miss the look on the other's face as they kissed for the first time.

Tony's felt a spear of exhilaration push through him. Wave after wave of positive emotions washed over Tony as Steve's lips mapped out his. Tony returned the soft kiss, tasting his Match. Suddenly, it was like a switch had been flipped because the kiss went from soft and savoring, to passionate and aggressive. The desire to possess and mark hit Tony from both sides. His own desires and Steve's.

Tony maneuvered himself so that he was straddling Steve's prone form. The blond just remained pushed up on his elbows as Tony's fingers pushing into his hair to control the kiss. Their tongues dueled and delved in each other's mouths. Tony's fingers flexed around those soft blond locks as his hips rocked once against Steve's lap. The blond tore out of the kiss with a growl before Steve pushed all the way up so that Tony was sitting in his lap. This time it was Steve's fingers in Tony's hair, tugging it a bit so the Genius' neck was arched a little. Steve's mouth latched onto that elegant neck, attacking it, marking it. His teeth sent shivers and shards of pleasures spiraling down his spine. He was letting out pathetic sounds as Steve marked his as his own. He was Steve's now. There was a sense of comfort knowing he belonged to someone. That no matter what, he belonged to Steve.

Steve released Tony's neck in favor of putting the brunette on his back. Tony's legs were still on either side of Steve's hips making it convent for the stronger man to thrust his pelvis greedily against Tony's. Tony let out a moan and a whimpered as they rocked together, feverishly seeking out each other's skin. But their clothes were getting in the way. So caught up in the need to assure themselves of each other existence that they forgot to strip.

Tony started to solve that quick enough. Stripping off his shirt in order to be rid of the barrier. Before he could move to take Steve's off, those large hands clasped over his wrists, pinning his arms above his head. Steve began to taste the newly revealed skin, bitting and marking the sensitive patches of Tony's skin. His tongue even ran along the side of Tony's Arc reactor. The scar tissue there was super sensitive, making Tony mewl and pant. Tony was shaking his head, arching into Steve, almost begging for more. Steve bucked his hips once more before he used his hips to Tony to the mattress before he used his free hand to yank his own shirt off. Tony watched hungrily as Steve's broad chest was revealed.

Those muscles moved and contoured in such delicious ways as Steve tossed the shirt off to one side. Tony arched up, tugging at Steve's hand,watching to be free to touch. Yet Steve seemed content to hold him down. Tony didn't mind. He always had to be in control of his sex-capades. But with Steve, he instinctively knew that he could just give himself over to Steve's capable hands.

Tony's mind short circuited when Steve's mouth came down to mouth over his covered erection. He felt his hot breath ghost through the material to caress over him. He let out a short curse, not believing how good it felt. Suddenly, his wrists were released and his hips were pull up. Steve jerked his pants off him in one swift motion, leaving Tony naked beneath him. Tony watched as those eyes roamed over his body, taking everything in with a desperate hunger. Tony never felt more desired or loved then in that moment. He sat up on his elbows and watched as Steve shucked off his own jeans, revealing himself to Tony. His breath hitched as he saw how….well endowed his mate was. He grinned a bit and held his out to Steve.

Instantly their hands were back together, electricity ran down them. It was like the first time only without the blacking out bit. Tony rubbed himself against Steve as his lips attached themselves to Steve's neck, intent on marking the man. Eventually he pulled back, admiring his mark. Steve seemed to grow impatient because soon he was back on his back, legs spread wide by Steve's hands. Those eyes roamed over him again, greedily watching him. Tony felt himself grow harder at this, his cock twitching and leaking on his stomach. Steve leaned down and licked a stripe over his cock, lapping up the precum that laid on his stomach. Tony arches off the bed, pleasure tearing through him.

Steve lavished him with his tongue. He was so focused on that surprisingly talented tongue that he did not noticed Steve's fingers gather the sticky fluid that was copiously leaking from his member. He was so lost in the pleasure of Steve's hot mouth swallowing him whole that it wasn't until the first finger was brushing against his prostate that he realized what else was going on. He gripped the bed as that cum slick finger pushed in and out of him. It was soon joined by one more then another. He was being working open quickly. Each thrust of fingers was rough and strong, hitting his prostate every time. He was coming apart and Steve seemed absolutely smug about it. The blond hummed around his cock, causing him to fall even more into pieces. He was panting, moaning and gripping the bed for dear life. It was almost too much. He was feeling not only his pleasure, but Steve's as well. This connection between them was strong enough for him to feel both of their pleasure.

Too soon Steve tore his mouth from Tony's cock, working it with his hand to gather the saliva and cum that was there before stroking his own cock, coating it to make it easier. Not that it matter much form what Tony could tell. Steve braced his hands on either side of Tony's head, leaning down to capture Tony's lip in a deep passionate kiss, nipping at Tony's bottom lip every now and again. Tony let out a gasp as he felt the head of Steve's cock push breach him. His head was spinning. He could feel everything Steve felt. It was strange because it was like he was being fucked and doing the fucking. He gripped Steve's shoulders tightly, relaxing and going pliant under the stronger man. Steve took this as a sign that he was ready to take this on the level that they would have been if there wasn't a mutual concern for each other's pleasure.

Steve pulled back before slamming froward, hitting Tony's prostate firmly, causing the lithe man under him to yelp out his pleasure. There was a resonance between them. Their pleasure was reverberating between them. It seemed to spur both of them on because soon Steve was moving quickly and roughly in and out of Tony. His thrust were precious and hard, as if he wanted to tattoo himself on the inside of Tony. Tony's nails racked over Steve's shoulder as his eyes rolled back in his head. He could feel those powerful hands gripping his hips so tightly, he would surely have bruises there later. He didn't care. He wanted the marks. He wanted the half moon scabs that would come from Steve's nails. Wanted the deep bruises that came from those pearly whites biting into his neck. He wanted the bruises, on his hips and thighs, and the aches. He wanted it because they told him this was real, told him that he belonged to a Sentinel.

Steve continued to move at a nearly brutal pace, his pleasure soaking into Tony's bones. Soon they were spirally faster and faster toward climax. The only thing that kept them going for this long was Steve's stamina that came from the Super Solider Serum. It made it easier for them to not just blow up after a couple of touches like other Perfect Matches. There was a spike of pleasure, Tony's inner walls tightening a bit around Steve's cock. That set them both off. The tightness combined with the heat creating a precipitate that set off their simultaneous climax. Steve gave one more strong thrust, pushing his hips tightly to Tony's in order to climax deep inside his mate, as if wanting to mark him from the inside. Tony's climax coated their stomach, creating a sticky mess. Neither of them cared. They collapsed into the bed, Steve on top of Tony for a moment before he rolled off to one side. The Solider gathered his mate into his arms, burying his nose in that sweaty brown hair. He took a deep breath, evening out his breathing.

They remained silent, basking in the afterglow of what just happened. Tony shifted a bit, moving closer to Steve, who kissed the mark on his neck in a soft….almost loving gesture. Tony smiled a bit.

"Found you" Was all Steve said against his neck. Tony chuckled a bit.

"Yes, you certainly did." Tony in a gentle tone. He felt Love and tenderness wash over him from Steve. He closed his eyes and finally saw a brighter future. One not stark and empty.

* * *

A/N: So my muse decided to show her face and this is what happened. It is completely uneditted, but I wanted to post it now. I will edit it soon enough.


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